Genome wide analysis in a family with sensorineural hearing loss, autism and mental retardation

Autism Spectrum Disorder and Associated Risk Factors: A Matched Case-Control Study

Background and aims: Despite substantial advances in the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the environmental risk factors have not yet been well understood. The present study investigated the association between ASD, and maternal and perinatal risk factors. Methods: This matched, case-control study was conducted in Hamadan, the west of Iran, from November 2015 to May 2016. We enrolled 41 children with ASD aged 3-17 years. We selected four controls per one case from the same hospital where patients were born. Controls were separately matched with cases for sex, age, and birth year. Results: We compared 41 ASD cases with 164 controls. After adjusting the odds ratio (95% CI), ASD was significantly associated with third-degree relatives consanguinity [3.29 (1.39, 7.75)], short birth length [4.99 (1.15, 21.60)], short head circumference [7.87 (1.48, 41.76), respiratory distress syndrome at birth 3.97 (1.91, 8.22)], respiratory assistance at birth [2.92 (1.39, 6.10)], birth hypoxia [2.85 (1.35, 5.99)], and low 1-minute Apgar score [3.65 (1.04, 12.75)]. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that ASD may be associated with multiple maternal and perinatal risk factors. Evidence based on large prospective multicenter cohort studies is required to indicate the impacts of maternal and perinatal exposures.

TUSC3: functional duality of a cancer gene

Two decades ago, following a systematic screening of LOH regions on chromosome 8p22, TUSC3 has been identified as a candidate tumor suppressor gene in ovarian, prostate and pancreatic cancers. Since then, a growing body of evidence documented its clinical importance in various other types of cancers, and first initial insights into its molecular function and phenotypic effects have been gained, though the precise role of TUSC3 in different cancers remains unclear. As a part of the oligosaccharyltransferase complex, TUSC3 localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum and functions in final steps of N-glycosylation of proteins, while its loss evokes the unfolded protein response. We are still trying to figure out how this mechanistic function is reconcilable with its varied effects on cancer promotion. In this review, we focus on cancer-related effects of TUSC3 and envisage a possible role of TUSC3 beyond endoplasmic reticulum.

Chromosomal abnormalities in patients with autism spectrum disorders from Taiwan

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by verbal communication impairments, social reciprocity deficits, and the presence of restricted interests and stereotyped behaviors. Genetic factors contribute to the incidence of ASD evidently. However, the genetic spectrum of ASD is highly heterogeneous. Chromosomal abnormalities contribute significantly to the genetic deficits of syndromic and non-syndromic ASD. In this study, we conducted karyotyping analysis in a sample of 500 patients (447 males, 53 females) with ASD from Taiwan, the largest cohort in Asia, to the best of our knowledge. We found three patients having sex chromosome aneuploidy, including two cases of 47, XXY and one case of 47, XYY. In addition, we detected a novel reciprocal chromosomal translocation between long arms of chromosomes 4 and 14, designated t(4;14)(q31.3;q24.1), in a patient with Asperger's disorder. This translocation was inherited from his unaffected father, suggesting it might not be pathogenic or it needs further hits to become pathogenic. In line with other studies, our study revealed that subjects with sex chromosomal aneuploidy are liable to neurodevelopmental disorders, including ASD, and conventional karyotyping analysis is still a useful tool in detecting chromosomal translocation in patients with ASD, given that array-based comparative genomic hybridization technology can provide better resolution in detecting copy number variations of genomic DNA.